Method of making carbureted water gas



E. SHIPPEE METHOD OF MAKING GARBURETED WATER GAs' flied Jan. 18. 1921 a reamed Mav 31,1927- in-Mfrs STTES PATENT oFicE.

ALLEN E. SHIPPEE, OF EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO STONE &"

WEBSTER, INC. OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS -METHOD OF MAKING CARBURETED WATER GAS.

Application filed January 18, .1921. Serial No. 4as,115.'

This invention relates to the manufacture of carbureted water gas and has for its object a process of making gas in the usual gas making set, comprising a generator, car- 5 buretor and superheater, whereby oil having a relatively high sulphur and coke making content may be employed and the amount of carbon disulphide in the carbureted gas kept down to a low and commercially unobjec- 1 tionable value. p

Attempts have been made, heretofore, to use oils having a high sulphur and coke making content, of which Californian and Mexican crudes are typical examples, by sprayingthe oil in the carburetor in the usual manner. The resulting gas product, however, has such a high carbon disulphide content as to be extremely objectionable. Hydrogen sulphide is also formed but may be easily removed'from the gas.

When oil-having a high coke making content is sprayed into the carburetor, coke will be deposited on the bricks composing the checker work of the carburetor. Thecoke may first form upon the bricks of the first two or three courses and may then be built'up gradually on lower courses. .The building up of the coke deposit gradually reduces the area of the gas passages through the carburetor. The coke deposit is formed at a relatively slow rate, however, and it is found. that the' gas making process may be carried on for a period of from twelve to twenty-four hours without a seriousf reduction of gas passage area in the carburetor even when an oil of high coke depositing content is used. This accumula; tion ofv coke in the carburetor has not hitherto been recognized as important in connection with the formation of an excess of .carbon disulphide in water gas. When oil is used having ahigh sulphur content and which forms a. large, amount of free carbon, it is-natural' to assume that the resultant gas would he likelyv to contain a large amount of ,5, carbon disulphide I have found, however, thatrby removing the coke deposited 'on tlie carburetor checkerwork at frequent intervals, for instance, between each gas making run, there will be no serious formation of carbon standingthe fact that the oil may be very disulphide, notwith- "lii'gh in sulphur. and coke-producing con-H ents. Even when the carbon is burned off between each gas making run there is, nevertheless, deposited on the checkerwork during each run a measurable amount of carbon, more than enough to cause harmful results if converted into carbon disulphide, but I have found that the carbon disulphide is not in fact'produced in harmful quantities if thecarbon is burned off at frequent intervals, as between each gas making run, even when an oil depositing a large amount'of coke is used.

By the use of my process without changing the ordinary apparatus used for making water gas, I- can burn out the cokedeposited in the carburetor by oils of very large sul-' phur and coke making content at'frequent intervals thus keeping the carburetor at all times free of coke suflicient to react harmfully and by so doing, the formation of carbon disulphide to a prohibitive extent, is prevented. This can be done with little, or no loss of efiiciency in the apparatus.

In carrying outmy invention, I burn out the coke in the carburetor preferably between each run or gas making period so that the carburetor is free, or substantially free, of coke on each run. The burning operation is carried out by forcing air through the highly heated carburetor in an amountsulficient to combine with the coke.

' The theory upon which the process rests would appear to be substantially as follows: When coke is left to accumulate in the carburetor, it is at such a high temperature at the end of the blasting operation that it is incandescent. In this state the coke, which comprises mainly carbon, is extremely active as a reducing agent. When the sulphur bearing oil is sprayed into the heated carburetor, it ,is vaporized and broken up into gasesand vapors. There is an initial reaction whereby hydrogen sulphide is formed by the union of'sulphur in the oil with heated hydrogen as represented by the equation v v Due tothe reducing effect of the incandescent coke, and the relatively weak union between the hydrogen and sulphur of hydro gen sulphide, part of the hydrogen is dissociated and the sulphur/immediately unites 7 stantial reducing action on the oil sprayed 'in' the carburetor during the remainder of The resulting H'gas therefore will passes through ess is used, at least the formation is not in -tia-lly free of coke, oil

- ited on" the brick,

. with the amount -very little into ca gensulphide may be and any carbon disulphide formed exists,

in such small quantity "during this first run, as to be commercially unobjectionable. Dura with the coke toform carbon disulphide in accordance with the following equation.

2H S-+C:CS +2H formed from the generator flipears to be however, in comparison which might be formed by the double reaction effected by the action of relatively small,

the incandescent coke on theoil.

It would be natural to expect that the constant presence of sulphur and free carbon" in this vaporized oil ,wouldnecessarily result in the formation of carbon disulphide Such, however, is not the fact when my procprohibitive amounts.

When the carburetor is free or substan sprayed on the i'ncandescent. brickis vaporized as usuaLflDue to the comparative absence"; of coke: the

greater part of the sulphur contentofthe 011 J is' convertedrinto hydrogen sulphide and rbon disulphide. Hydroconveniently removed ing the. steam run, which commonlylasts only about four. minutes, coke will be depos but, due-to the cooling efl'ect of the oil,the temperature of the coke layer will be; so low that it will have no subthe run. be substantially freefrom carbon disulphide. I .IfIthej coke 'is permitted toremain inv the carburetor during the next run following.

. the usual v v it will have been heated-toincan escence and 'will'lreact upon the'oil as above described.

, operation before the average carbon' disule" generator air blastin operation,

to form carbon disulphide. I

and that t may be-possible-to make two or even more runs after each coke burning phide". content of the gas madeidiiring these runs become objectionably high. The nec-' essary frequency of removal of the carbon the coke previous to each run.

can be determinedreadily 'byEexperim'ent; I have found, however,- that with-oils; such as jthe'Mexlcan, it is desirable to burn out I have also found that byjremoving'the cokedeposit in the manner above set forth,

the amount of hydrogen sulphide in the.

p 1 the equation; It maybe, withzcertain oils, that coke is y but slowly accumulated in the carburetor Jand-thefree oxygen combines With'the fuel- I monoigide or, possibly,""car bon dioxide. 120

carbureted gas is also reduced. 'A considerable proportion of the sulphur content of the oil collects with the coke in the form of solid sulphur compounds on. the checker work.' When the coke to remain through succeding runs the hydrogen of the generator gas, and probably also v This burning off operation should not be'- attempted while the generator gasessare pass-, :80 i ing through thecarburetor as the hir would .unite with the combustible portion of the j generator gas instead of with the coke on the checker brick.

Fig.1 is aside elevation, partly in section, 35 gas making set adapted forthe .per-

of'a formance of'the invention.

ig. 2 is aperspective detailburetor illustr coke deposit is-formed.

The water gasmaking set adapted for the performa the inven-. tion is -of more or .less. co mon' construction.v j-The various? elementsiofthe set.-in-- 95 clude the water gasgeneratori1'0, tl re carbu-v rotor 11, and the s'pe heater12.

water gas, steam is .forced throughabed of. incandescent coal orrcokefin the generator,'.after said fuel bed l'l'fiQS bt-slljblfiStGChOI heated by forcingairthrough' ,it to burn with the fuel. Due-to the reducing effect -'of the fuel a reaction occurs by which the steam combines with accordance with the 'equation.-- 7

and the product is termed water gas. If

jto form carbon The resulting watergas, @mplsisihg hy-.

.drogen and carbon monoxide, witlraflsmall A proportion of hydrogen sulph' de; is deficientil-j' heating value; It .is consequently bureted or has; addedto. it gases b its heating value enhanced. Saidgases are added by passingv the'water gas about the highly heated: checker work. of the carburetor and superheat'er and sprayin 1 oil deposit is permitted 70 When the coke deposit is burned 75 I thetop. j courses of brick checker work in the car tingthe'manner' in which the 9 In the usual processf for making'carburetedl" Y the carbon of the fueltoform hydrogen and carbon monoxide in into the carburetor. Dueto the high and superheater, the usual gas making process is divided into a run or period of making carbureted water gas, of. about four niinutes, and ablast of about three minutes,

- during which steam and oil'are' turned off to burn the fuel and raise its temperature. The blast gas contains a large. proportion of carbon monoxide. It is passed through the carburetor and superheater'and finally discharged through the stack into the atmosphere In the carburetor the blast gas is mixed with'air and burned to carbon dioxide and the resulting heat is utilized to raise the ca uretor and superheater toa temperature at which the oil will be con-- verted into fixed gases. When the blast is completed, the blast valves are olosed a'nd steam is, again forced throughthe generator fire and oil sprayed into the carburetor for the next run. 'A gas making cycle, comprising a run and a blast, with time for manipulating the necessary valves, requires from five to seven minutes. The generator fire is cleaned about every eight to 'twelvehours.

Air is suppliedto the ash pit of the coal or coke filled generatorlfrom the blower 13' under pressure through the' pipe 13, and

the flow ofv air may be controlled'by the valve 13 A pipe 1i having a. valve 15 therein extends from the top of the generator to the top of the carburetor andasecond pipe 16 havinv a valve 17 therein ex tends from the ash pit of the generator and connects with the pipe M on-the carburetor side of its valve 15 whereby the direction of making gas through the generator may be reversed when desired. Gas passed'from .the bottom of the carburetor through the pipe 15 into the superheater and from-the 19 or through the pipe 20 to the water seal top of the superheater-either to the stack 21 and thence, to agasholder not shown,

- depending upon whether the cover valve 19 is open or closed. A. waste heat boiler may be inserted in the'stack 19 to utilize the the carbon from carbureto v A carburetor blast pipe 22 extends from the blast pipe '13 into'the up er'pant of heat of blast products passing therethrough.

the carburetor to. supply air -or'blasting.

I find it convenient to use this pipe 22 to supply the air to burnoif the deposited coke from the checker brigk the carburetor though any other sourbei'bf could be used. I close thevalve 13 and the valve 23 being open thefeiu blast will pass into the car- Buretor and trim off the coke onthe checker hydro through the carbure brick. short I time will "sufiice forthis operation. a

Oil for enr1ching the generator gas is-.

The valve-controlled steam pipe branches 27 and 27 serve. to admit steam to either the f top or bottomof the generator. and an is forced through the generator-fire Oil having a high coke making and sulphur content injected intothecarburetor contacts with .the first course or two in the carburetor andingasified. Carbon is separated from the oil and collects in the form of incandescent coke layer is .resplved into carbon disulphide and hydrogen sulphide, as above set forth. Removal of the coke deposit as above set forth'results in a carbureted as having a relatively low carbon disulphi e content.

While carbon disulphide is the principal ast ous sulphur component, other than en sulphide, formed when oils having a big coke and sulphur content are em-' ployed, small proportions of other gaseous sulphur compounds are or may be formed which are herein included in the term carbon disulphide.

In case an 01 be shortened but I have never found it'neces- 'sary to shorten the run.

The term coke. as herein employed denotes the carbon which is separated from the oil and deposited in the carburetor; and

substantially cutting o'ffiith water. gas from the carburetor and uiivm a blast of air water gas flow therein and betweerfwater gas 'maklng runs while the carburetor. is

highly heated, and discharging the result ing products of combustion produced by the burning from the'carhu'retor.

2. An improvement in the method of mak ing carbureted water gas from oil having lis used which deposits coke v in suflicient quanities to cause trouble even .before the completion of one run-the run may method of in "the direction of i a substantial carbon making andsulphur disulphide content of the carbureted Water gas, excluding the products of combustion resulting from the carbon burning from the generator and discharging the products of combustion from the carburetor.

' I 3.,An improvement in the method of making carbureted .Water gas from oil having-a substantial carbon depositing content which comprises, injecting the oil into the carburetor during each" water gas making run and in remoi ling all thei carbon deposited in the-carburetor, before each suc- .ceedin-g Water gas making run byia blast of air, excluding the gases formed by the carbon removal from the generator and dis-.

charging themfrom the carburetor.

4'. The process of making carbureted Water gas in a gas making set comprising a generator and a carburetor, which consists in three steps, namely, an air blast run, a

steam run including carbureting, and an in a generatorand a carburetor, whichconsists' In three steps, namely, an air blast run, a steam runinclud ng carbureti'ng, and an 1ndependent run of free air through the carburetor following the air blast run, In testimony. whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALLEN E; SI-IIPPEE. 

